Rose stood before the vanity mirror in her room, checking her hair and make-up. Smoothing the wrinkles out of the light blue dress she had chosen to wear that day. She winced at the butterflies battling it out in her stomach. She couldn't believe how nervous she felt. She sighed as there was a small knock at the door and Lisa stuck her head into the room.

"Jack's here. Are you ready for your date?"

Rose grinned. "I do believe so. How do I look? Not too formal? Not too casual?"

Lisa chuckled, not getting why her friend was so nervous. This seemed to be the same as all the other outings that the couple have shared. "Why so nervous?"

Rose giggled and pulled Lisa into the room. Over the past month, the three women, Rose, Lisa, and Hope have grown close. It was another development that Rose had not expected. The two women were her first real friends and it felt nice to have someone else to talk to and giggle with, besides Jack.

"Hope told me that Jack was asking Charlie about engagement rings and where to get them and what to look for while purchasing one."

Lisa gasped, her eyes widening with excitement. "Really? Oh my god! So you think this is it? That Jack is going to propose?"

Rose grinned furiously and nodded her head, wanting to explode from the giddiness that filled her. "I'm so nervous. I want to be absolutely perfect for him!"

Lisa rolled her eyes. "You could show up wearing nothing but rags and you'd still be the most beautiful girl in Jack's eyes. You know that. You have absolutely nothing to be nervous about. It's Mr. Dawson who should be nervous. He's the one that has to ask the question."

"Or he might not ask me at all. I may just be nervous for nothing," Rose chuckled. "Still...I seem to always be nervous before these dates, when on Titanic, I wasn't at all this nervous. Even though I should have been."

"You have nothing to be nervous about. Go out there and knock his handsome socks off," Lisa winked. "And if he does propose, I want to be the first to know."

"What of Hope? She does live with Jack, you know. Surely, he'll tell Charlie and I can't imagine Charlie keeping it from Hope."

"Oh alright. Maybe not the first, but the second," Lisa laughed. "Now get out there."

Doing what was commanded, Rose left her room to find Jack in the parlor talking with Lisa's mother as he waited for Rose to arrive. He got to his feet as he saw Rose, a smile in his eyes as well on his lips. "Hey. You look great."

"Thank you," Rose shyly answered.

"I like your dress."

"I brought it yesterday with Lisa. She says it compliments my eyes..."

"Well, Lisa is right. It does," Jack smiled, holding his arm out to her, like he did on Titanic at the first class dinner. "Ready to go?"

"Of course," Rose took his arm and turned to Lisa and her mother. "I won't be out too late."

"Oh take your time, dear. We won't wait up," Mrs. Rainer smiled, watching the young people walk out the door.

"Irene would have liked her," Louise smiled.

Lisa nodded her agreement. "She would have and so would Mr. Dawson. Do you think Jack is going to propose tonight?"

"Judging from how nervous the young man was while he was waiting out here, I'd be surprised if he didn't," Louise laughed. "It seems a bit early for that though."

"Oh please, mother. With how the rich folk marry without even knowing each other first, the time frame is rather sensible," Lisa waved away her mother's concerns.

"And what do you know about how rich folk marry?"

"Rose told me. She should know, don't you think?" Lisa arched a brow, forgetting that her mother knew nothing of Rose's background.

"And how would Rose know?"

Lisa blushed, realizing her mistake. "Well, listen to that accent and her manners. Only a rich girl would sit with such perfect posture and sound so refined. Besides, Rose told me herself."

Louise frowned and rubbed her chin, realizing that she really didn't know much about the young red-head at all. She hadn't bothered asking about the girl's past or what she may have been running from. She also found it strange that Mr. Dawson seemed to know her far more than he should have. Maybe there was a story there. An interesting one...but it was none of her business and as long as the young people were happy, she was too. She still held her opinion that her deceased friend would have been happy with her son's choice to court the girl and maybe even wed her. Goodness knows, she did bring the young man out of the funk he was in since his return.

"Hmmm...maybe. I find it strange that she'd leave the life of high society, but such things are not for everyone. Perhaps Rose found it lacking and will be happy here with us."

"Perhaps," Lisa chuckled. "Or perhaps Jack will take her traveling the world once again. Only time will tell."

Louise just sighed and went into the kitchen to make lunch. Putting Jack and Rose out of her mind for the time being. She was sure that no matter what the girl's background, things will work out the way they were supposed to. For good or for ill.

…..

The first place Jack took Rose once they had left the bed and breakfast was to the lake. It was warm, quiet, and rather pretty at this time of year. The smell of wild flowers filled the air and the way the light played on the water made the area almost magical. It being one of the hottest days of the year also made it a prime spot for a date. There were other couples picnicking along the banks, but Jack had found a shaded area that afforded them a little privacy, even though some couples could still see them if they cared to watch. All in all, it was a perfect spot for a early afternoon picnic.

Jack spread a blanket onto the grass for them to sit on. After Rose was settled, he sat beside her and began to take the food that Hope had packed out of the basket. To be honest, he was incredibly nervous. This was a big day for them both and he wanted it to be absolutely perfect for Rose. He didn't want to disappoint her.

"Hope packed us a container of lemonade, some fried chicken, potato salad, and cole slaw, and my mom's apple pie. She baked it last night," He laid everything out before them. "She's a really good cook, as you probably know by now."

Rose nodded, not taking her eyes off him. He was even more handsome than he was on Titanic, in her opinion. His blond hair seemed to shine in the sunlight, and his skin was a healthy tan. His blue eyes never lost their sparkle as he looked at her. But his smile, usually wide and free was a bit tight, signaling that he was nervous about something. Rose just smiled and decided to forget her own nerves and just enjoy the day. Jack said he was going to give her everything that her mother and Cal had stolen, and she believed that all of this was part of it.

"Yes. I can only hope that I can learn to cook as well as she does."

"Of course. Of course, I'll help teach you if you'd like."

Rose stared. According to her mother, men and cooking did not mix. The household chores, like cooking and cleaning, when one didn't have servants to do it for them, was a woman's task while men went out to conduct business. Rose never did agree with that and she was relieved to see that Jack didn't seem to go with those traditional roles either.

"You cook?"

"Of course. When you have to take care of yourself, you pretty much have to learn. Besides, why should women be the only ones that make the meals? It never made any sense to me," Jack shrugged. "Don't tell me, your mother told you that a woman's place in life was to be barefoot and pregnant, stuck in the kitchen."

Rose laughed. "Well, she didn't put it like that, but pretty much yes. Of course, I didn't agree with her."

"I stick to my earlier assessment. You were mailed to the wrong address."

"Well it's a good thing that I've mailed myself to the right one, isn't it?" Rose giggled, picking up a drumstick.

Jack just laughed. "I would say so."

They ate in comfortable silence. Once they got to the apple pie, Jack, took his fork and broke off a piece and fed it to Rose, who almost missed the piece going into her mouth, she was giggling so much.

"Careful," Jack chuckled.

"You are too good to me, Jack," Rose chewed the piece of pie. "Mmm, this is great. I'm going to have to learn how to make it for you."

"It's a family secret recipe. There's only one way that Hope will be able to give it to you," Jack reached into his pocket and gripped the small red box, hidden within.

Rose arched a brow, her heart beginning to beat. If it was a Dawson secret and there was only one way to get the recipe...that meant...

Jack frowned and looked past Rose's shoulder. He sat up straighter than he was originally sitting and pointed. "What in the hell is that?"

Rose frowned, not having expected the quick change of subject. She turned her head, wondering what had captured Jack's attention. She frowned when she saw nothing there. "Jack, what are you...oh my..."

The ability to speak left Rose when she turned her head to look at Jack, when her eyes landed on a ring nestled in a blue box instead. It had a simple diamond in the center and the band was silver that gleamed in the sunlight. It was the most beautiful ring she had ever sit eyes on and she knew exactly what it meant. Tears filled her eyes when she looked at Jack, who was nervously smiling at her. "Jack..."

"I'm sorry for tricking you, but I know that Hope overheard me talking to Charlie, so I had to find some way to make sure that you were surprised."

Rose just stared, words still failing her. "I...I can't speak."

"Well, I guess that's just as well, even though I'm not doing much better. I had this whole speech thought out. Something about giving you the moment that your mother and Cal had stolen...but that just didn't seem right so...I'm just going to wing it here. Rose, when I first saw you on Titanic...it wasn't at the railing when you were about to jump. It was on the first class deck. You were looking out over the ocean and you were the most beautiful girl I had ever set eyes on. I didn't even dare to dream that I would have a chance with you. That I would be here today, about to ask you the most important question of my life. In fact, I thought Tommy was right when he said that I didn't have a chance to get next to you. But you changed that. The night I helped pull you over the rail...you changed my entire life for the better.

"Before you, I had never really given much thought about finding a girl and starting a life with her. But then you fell into my life and you became my life. You grabbed my heart and you haven't let go since. When I had thought that I had lost you...I wanted to lay down and die. The thought of how disappointed you would have been in me for being so hypocritical stopped me from doing so. Then you fell back into my life again, and it's all too clear now that I can't be apart from you. Not anymore. You're a part of me Rose. You're my heart and I can't leave without it. I understand how the world works. First class girls don't marry third class guys. I have ten bucks in my pocket. I have nothing to offer you, but I can't let you go. I can't let go of my heart. I need it to live, so I'm asking you, Rose...will you marry me?"

Tears fell from Rose's eyes, streaming down her pink cheeks. A hand rested against trembling lips as she struggled to force the words out through the waves of emotions filling her. Finally she managed to nod and her voice cracked as she said the words. "Yes! Yes, Jack! I'll marry you! I'll marry you today if you want!"

A few of the surrounding couples smiled as they heard the yes and saw Jack take Rose's hand and slide the ring onto her finger and the sobbing Rose fall into his arms, her own arms wrapping around him, holding on tightly as if he might disappear. Girls looked at their dates, wondering if their partners could ever do something as romantic as Jack Dawson had just done.

Jack held her close as she sobbed against his neck, tears coming from his own eyes, so full of emotion was he. He had been so scared, even though he knew that the answer would most likely be yes, but there had been a tiny part of him afraid that Rose had come to her senses and would reject him. It was a foolish fear, but a very real one for him. Luckily, it had been unfounded. Rose had agreed to be his wife. Now all they needed to do was set a date, which in Jack's opinion should be as soon as possible.

Rose pulled away, wiping away her tears. "Thank you Jack, thank you so much. This is..is a memory that I will keep forever."

"There are going to be many more memories after this, I promise you," Jack smiled, kissing her hand, admiring how the solitaire diamond sparkled on her finger. It wasn't as huge as the one Cal had given her, but it was just as beautiful. "I wish I could have gotten you something bigger."

"Are you kidding? This is perfect," Rose gazed at the ring. "It's the loveliest ring, more beautiful than that gaudy thing Cal had given me. I love it, Jack. I'm never going to take it off."

She kissed him long and deep, savoring the taste of his lips against hers and the feeling of his arms wrapping around her, holding her close. Ending the kiss, she rested her cheek against his. "I can't wait to become your wife."

"Shall we pick a date?"

"Yes," She sat up and looked into his eyes, feeling giddy. She knew, just by the smile he was giving her that she was going to be in charge of organizing this wedding. Not her mother, not Cal. Her. It'll be her decision on when and where to have it. What the bride and bridesmaids gowns will look like, what food will be served, what flowers for the bouquet she'll have and what music will be played. All of it will be up to her and Jack. No mother to take it over and her fiancee will be on her side when it comes to making decisions. This time, it will really be her dream wedding, because she'll be marrying the man of her dreams. Jack.

"I want it to be as soon as possible, as simple as possible. Friends and family only. I don't want all of Chippewa Falls society to be there," Rose giggled, remembering how she had described the wedding to Cal to Jack on board the Titanic.

"We'll just make it everyone at your bed and breakfast, Hope and Charlie and Lily will make a great Flower Girl and Charlie can be my best man," Jack nodded, liking Rose's plan. "It won't be a big wedding at all."

"Do you have any close friends that would like to come?"

"Lisa is mainly it. Wait, there is George Reynolds, but his ma doesn't like me so she might not let him come."

Rose frowned. "How old he is?"

"Oh he's my age. He's just a mama's boy is all. I tried to visit him when I came back, but I didn't stay long. His ma stood on the steps glaring at me the whole time. Like I was going to do something to corrupt her baby."

"Maybe she heard about you teaching me how to spit like a man. Maybe she was afraid you'd teach him," Rose giggled. She couldn't believe that she was here making jokes, when not so long ago her life had been so miserable, she couldn't even crack a smile.

Jack just laughed. "Maybe. She might let him come though...she liked my ma and for her sake may come as well. God, there's so much to do, isn't there? We haven't even picked a place yet."

"Who else do you know, Jack?"

"Matthew Wilkins. He was my best friend. He helped me stand up against some bullies when they were picking on George. That's how George came to be friends with us. I visited Matt as well. He's married now with kids. Surely they'd like to come. Is there anyone you'd like to come, Rose?"

"Lisa and her mother, mainly. They've been so good to me. And that's about it. Hope is automatically there..."

"No one from Philadelphia?"

"God, no. I didn't have many friends and the ones I did have will tell mother where I am. No, it's best if I don't contact anyone there at all. The last thing we need is mother and Cal storming in to ruin everything."

Jack nodded, understanding. Ruth Dewitt Bukater and Caledon Hockley were definitely two people he did not want anywhere near his wedding to Rose. "Alright. I guess we can have the ceremony at the small church I went to when I was a kid. My parents were married there, their funeral was there...makes sense to have another Dawson wedding there."

"Oh Jack, that sounds charming. Will you show me?"

"Sure. We can go right now if you like," Jack grinned, loving the bright smile on Rose's face. He loved seeing her so happy and that it was all because of something he did. It was at that moment that he made it his life's mission to always make Rose so happy that her smile would light up a room.

"I'd like that. Let's clean this up and be on our way. Maybe we can even book it for as soon as possible."